Five major obstacles to the return of the sex toys industry to the United States

Although the White House claims that high tariffs will revive the US manufacturing industry, sex toy practitioners have listed insurmountable gaps:

1. Supply chain fault

"The United States does not even have micro-motor and battery factories for vibrators," said Michael Topolovac, co-founder of the light luxury sex toy brand Crave. "There are no factories for such accessories in the United States. Can battery and motor factories be built in the United States? Of course, but it will take at least five years to solve it."

Ti Chang, Creative Director of Crave, said, "As far as electromechanical products are concerned, given our current scale, it is not possible to produce them in the United States at present." Crave's design, R&D, partial assembly, and quality control are all carried out in San Francisco, but its components are manufactured in China.

Another problem is cost. The cost of labor, construction, real estate and basic living in the United States is much higher than in China. "Even if you can establish a supply chain, the cost will increase dramatically," said Michael Topolowac.

2. Lack of skilled workers

It is reported that a technical college in Shenzhen has a professional course on sex products, and the starting salary for graduates is 8,000 yuan/month. In contrast, the United States is extremely short of skilled workers, and the hourly wage of the same technician in Ohio is as high as US$35 (about RMB 250)/hour, and the weekly salary will reach 10,000 yuan.

3. Lack of certification system

Chinese sex product factories hold ISO13485 medical device certification, while the US FDA has not yet established a classification standard for sex products, and local production faces a regulatory vacuum.

4. Cost multiple difference

The factory rent in Dongguan, China is US$3/square foot/year, while the average price in the industrial zone of California, the United States is US$12/square foot/year. Considering the costs of manpower, logistics, etc., the price of American manufacturing will be 4.2 times that of Chinese products.

5. Cultural taboos

"In Shenzhen, China, sex toy factories are star taxpayers; but in many areas of the United States, such as Kentucky, sex toy companies may cause serious protests from the church." Carolyn Eagle, founder of the American sex toy store Betty's Toy Box, smiled bitterly.